Q Mr. President, thank you for this opportunity, we really appreciate it.

THE PRESIDENT: Thank you so much.

Q Sir, you just met with your personal envoy to theMiddle East, Senator Mitchell. Obviously, his first task is to consolidate the cease-fire. But beyond that you've been saying that you want to pursue actively and aggressively peacemaking between the Palestinians and the Israelis. Tell us a little bit about how do you see your personal role, because, you know, if the President of the United States is not involved, nothing happens — as the history of peacemaking shows. Will you be proposing ideas, pitching proposals, parameters, as one of your predecessors did? Or just urging the parties to come up with their own resolutions, as your immediate predecessor did?

THE PRESIDENT: Well, I think the most important thing is for the United States to get engaged right away. And George Mitchell is somebody of enormous stature. He is one of the few people who have international experience brokering peace deals.

And so what I told him is start by listening, because all too often the United States starts by dictating — in the past on some of these issues — and we don't always know all the factors that are involved. So let's listen. He's going to be speaking to all the major parties involved. And he will then report back to me. From there we will formulate a specific response.

Ultimately, we cannot tell either the Israelis or the Palestinians what's best for them. They're going to have to make some decisions. But I do believe that the moment is ripe for both sides to realize that the path that they are on is one that is not going to result in prosperity and security for their people. And that instead, it's time to return to the negotiating table.

And it's going to be difficult, it's going to take time. I don't want to prejudge many of these issues, and I want to make sure that expectations are not raised so that we think that this is going to be resolved in a few months. But if we start the steady progress on these issues, I'm absolutely confident that the United States — working in tandem with the European Union, with Russia, with all the Arab states in the region — I'm absolutely certain that we can make significant progress.

Q You've been saying essentially that we should not look at these issues — like the Palestinian-Israeli track and separation from the border region — you've been talking about a kind of holistic approach to the region. Are we expecting a different paradigm in the sense that in the past one of the critiques — at least from the Arab side, the Muslim side — is that everything the Americans always tested with the Israelis, if it works. Now there is an Arab peace plan, there is a regional aspect to it. And you've indicated that. Would there be any shift, a paradigm shift?

THE PRESIDENT: Well, here's what I think is important. Look at the proposal that was put forth by King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia —

Q Right.

THE PRESIDENT: I might not agree with every aspect of the proposal, but it took great courage —

Q Absolutely.

THE PRESIDENT: — to put forward something that is as significant as that. I think that there are ideas across the region of how we might pursue peace.

I do think that it is impossible for us to think only in terms of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and not think in terms of what's happening with Syria or Iran or Lebanon or Afghanistan and Pakistan. These things are interrelated. And what I've said, and I think Hillary Clinton has expressed this in her confirmation, is that if we are looking at the region as a whole and communicating a message to the Arab world and the Muslim world, that we are ready to initiate a new partnership based on mutual respect and mutual interest, then I think that we can make significant progress.

Good start. President Obama moved the focus toward common goals for the survial of all regional players; the future of their children. He spoke respectfully towards muslims and arabs while communicating effectively his opposition toward terrorists groups. He linked his heritage and upbringing as a bridge that connects him to muslims while still showing his alligence towards Israel. The questions were mainly softballs and I suspect will be perceived as such by hardliners and terrorist leaders but, they'll continue to second guess President Obama's next move and their's as well. That's a good start.

This interview was great. Bush never would have done anything like this. Obama is right. Words and symbolism matter. Not all muslims are crazed terrorists. Only a tiny minority are but Bush never understood the concept of influencing the broader majority through diplomacy, nuance, taking the middle ground. Everything was either good or evil, black or white. There is another major color in the universe. It's called grey and there are many shades of it. Obama sees it, understands it and I fully expect him to paint a global masterpiece with it.

THE PRESIDENT: -- what that tells me is that their ideas are bankrupt. There's no actions that they've taken that say a child in the Muslim world is getting a better education because of them, or has better health care because of them.

In my inauguration speech, I spoke about: You will be judged on what you've built, not what you've destroyed. And what they've been doing is destroying things. And over time, I think the Muslim world has recognized that that path is leading no place, except more death and destruction.

so, we are not supposed to respond or defend ourselves or judge any of their actions when they destroy our lives, homes and country?!?!!? But we only see the GOOD they do!! WHAT FRICKEN GOOD!!!!

Now, my job is to communicate the fact that the United States has a stake in the well-being of the Muslim world, that the language we use has to be a language of respect. I have Muslim members of my family. I have lived in Muslim countries.

Q The largest one.

THE PRESIDENT: The largest one, Indonesia. And so what I want to communicate is the fact that in all my travels throughout the Muslim world, what I've come to understand is that regardless of your faith -- and America is a country of Muslims, Jews, Christians, non-believers -- regardless of your faith, people all have certain common hopes and common dreams.

Why does he pander by say Muslims first before Christians when he responded to the question?!

And my job is to communicate to the American people that the Muslim world is filled with extraordinary people who simply want to live their lives and see their children live better lives. My job to the Muslim world is to communicate that the Americans are not your enemy. We sometimes make mistakes. We have not been perfect. But if you look at the track record, as you say, America was not born as a colonial power, and that the same respect and partnership that America had with the Muslim world as recently as 20 or 30 years ago, there's no reason why we can't restore that. And that I think is going to be an important task.

But ultimately, people are going to judge me not by my words but by my actions and my administration's actions.

AGAIN, tell me why does obama says we are not going to judge others by their destruction but by their deeds. BUT! he goes on to say, we will be judged on everything bad, simply by not defending our (HIS) country!? this is a yellow belly response and he is laying down this country to be destroyed by those who will never stop hating and wanting us all dead!

I have to stop there..... let me tell you people HOW DANGEROUS THIS NEW president is to our COUNTRY READ WHAT HE SAYS, SEE WHAT HE IS DOING. STAND UP FOR THIS COUNTRY AGAINST an adminstration that is going to let those around the middle east an open invitation to hurt us and not be JUDGED FOR THEIR DESTRUCTION ON OUR COUNTRY America!!

The Arabs understandingly did not like the colonizers, but unfortunately that's exactly what Israel is with her settlements (colonies) illegally metastasizing in occupied Palestine. When George Mitchell goes there and listens, he will find that America is hated because of what Israel does.

This interview was great. Bush never would have done anything like this. Obama is right. Words and symbolism matter. Not all muslims are crazed terrorists. Only a tiny minority are but Bush never understood the concept of influencing the broader majority through diplomacy, nuance, taking the middle ground. Everything was either good or evil, black or white. There is another major color in the universe. It's called grey and there are many shades of it. Obama sees it, understands it and I fully expect him to paint a global masterpiece with it.

Maybe there is a reason for that? Once bitten twice shy. It is not Joe Muslim that America fears, it is the leaders of Islamic nations and the Mullahs that preach destruction and violence to the young children. The last admin and the admin before has shown extreme levels of tolerance in the Arab world with their leaders and their defiant stances towards terrorism and the fanatical wing of their religion. At some point a spade needs to be called a spade. I only ask the President Obama not let his guard down and be too appeasing. One thing that I learned while in the Arab world and others I know is that lying and deceit is the rule of the day whether that is on the Arab street or in the Royal palaces.

I wil lsay this, Obama is a master at or influence and winning the hearts and minds. IF he can win the hearts and minds of Joe Muslim than he is one step closer to winning the war on terror. However as he stated it is hope that needs to be brought to the young of lesser means and he is not in a position to offer that yet. Although he does in Iraq and we wil lhave to see to what extent he abandons Iraq or moves to wnsure it's young maintain a favorable outlook on America. Like he said, it is in his actions and what he does there wil lshape the rest of hte Arab world on Obama

Obama didnt say anything that Bush hadnt already. The problem is that your hatred did not allow you to listen to what he was saying at any given time.

The UN divided Palestine roughly equally in 1947 so as to create an Arab state and a Jewish state. By 1967 Israel had 78% of the land. Greedy Israel wants more. The Arab Peace Plan says simply go back to the 1967 border giving Israel 78% of the land. Arafat agreed to this plan in 2002. Agreeing to giving Israel 78% is generous on the part of the Arabs but greedy Israel wants more, and that's why America is being destroyed. The mastermind of 9/11 Khalid Sheikh Mohammed said that his hatred for the US is due to our foreign policy favoring Israel (The 9/11 Commission Report p. 147). Looking at these maps it's clear why we are hated in the Arab/Muslim world.

The UN divided Palestine roughly equally in 1947 so as to create an Arab state and a Jewish state. By 1967 Israel had 78% of the land. Greedy Israel wants more. The Arab Peace Plan says simply go back to the 1967 border giving Israel 78% of the land. Arafat agreed to this plan in 2002. Agreeing to giving Israel 78% is generous on the part of the Arabs but greedy Israel wants more, and that's why America is being destroyed. The mastermind of 9/11 Khalid Sheikh Mohammed said that his hatred for the US is due to our foreign policy favoring Israel (The 9/11 Commission Report p. 147). Looking at these maps it's clear why we are hated in the Arab/Muslim world.

It's so nice to see someone come on here with some facts. So many Americans formulate their opinion of Palestine by the MSM that always justifies Isreal's actions, even when they are wrong. It is refreshing to have a President that is willing to LISTEN to both sides instead of a president who blindly supports whatever Isreal does, without question. Most terrorist organizations are fueled by what Isreal has gotten away with, with our support. The President is correct in that someone needs to look at the ENTIRE region and not listen to one and ignore the others. It's so refreshing to have a thinking President.

It's so nice to see someone come on here with some facts. So many Americans formulate their opinion of Palestine by the MSM that always justifies Isreal's actions, even when they are wrong. It is refreshing to have a President that is willing to LISTEN to both sides instead of a president who blindly supports whatever Isreal does, without question. Most terrorist organizations are fueled by what Isreal has gotten away with, with our support. The President is correct in that someone needs to look at the ENTIRE region and not listen to one and ignore the others. It's so refreshing to have a thinking President.

LOL, facts? He left out all the facts. The facts are that since the Israelis were given their land the Palestinian guerillas were attacking Israel. In the fifties we had the Suez canal crisis which forced Israel to throw out its peace agreement with Egypt. your hero here then talks about Israel just "taking" 78% of the land but the fact is that Egypt massed its troops and tanks on the Israeli border in 1967. Egypt along with Algiers, Syria, Iraq, Saudia Arabia and a host of other Arab nations provided troops and support to the Egyptians. ISrael attacked Egypt first, yes but it proved ot be the best move for Israel as they knocked out the Egyptian air force and their tanks before they could inflict serious damage. Since then Israel kept the land as ever since attacks have been coming from there.

I think you are going to see your beloved Obama act in the same manner as all the past Presidents in their support for Israel. If he does not he will go down in history as the President that allowed Israel to fold and sure he might get middle east peace, but at the cost of the country of Israel. I know that would make so many of you leftist anti semetics happy but it would prove a poor decision. More than likely it would escalate the middle east into an all out war.

J E Dundee is not providing the facts, he is just tooting your horn for you.

But it is not going to be easy, and that's why we've got George Mitchell going there. This is somebody with extraordinary patience as well as extraordinary skill, and that's what's going to be necessary.

George Mitchell is nothing more than a lobbyist these days and one for the middle east to boot. He advised companies on doing business in Iraq and lobbied to the senate and house for multiple Arab endeavors. Now he is going to negotiate with the Arab nations? Conflict of interest isnt it?

His firm even got a case against the Sheik of Dubai ousted for engaging in child trafficking for the use of ************s. Is Obama going to look past ethic standards for his pal? Mitchell needs to be careful as perception is everything.

Mitchell, who is traveling in the Middle East this week, may need a waiver from Obama’s new policy on ethics and lobbying, which says government officials must wait two years before working on matters “directly and substantially” related to pre-government employers or clients even if they weren’t registered lobbyists, said Stefan Passantino, head of the Washington-based political law group for McKenna Long & Aldridge.

9/11 Commission

In 2002, congressional Democrats tapped Mitchell as vice chairman of the 9/11 Commission. Mitchell and Henry Kissinger, then-President George W. Bush’s pick as chairman, quit the commission’s top posts after Congress required members to disclose financial information and suggested Mitchell may have to sever ties to his law firm.

The ************ lawsuit in September 2006, a class-action lawsuit filed by Mount Pleasant, South Carolina-based Motley Rice LLC by the children’s parents, accused al-Maktoum and others of enslaving boys from Africa and South Asia who were brought to Dubai as jockeys for camel racing, a popular sport in some parts of the Arab world.

That's the problem. Israel has kept the land which is not Israel's to keep. Israel is therefore in non-compliance with UN resolutions such as UN Security Council Resolution 242 which calls for Israel to end its illegal occupations as the acquisition of territory by means of war is inadmissible. The Arab and Muslim states have agreed to the fair and just Arab Peace Plan which is in accordance with UN resolutions. Israel refuses because it is greedy to keep all the stolen land even though the UN partition in 1947 allotted just 55% of Palestine to Israel. After all these wars, the Arab/Muslimworld is willing to settle for the internationally recognized 67 boundaries which means Israel gets 78%. But that is not enough for greedy Israel and hence the settlements keep metastasizing. .

The US military cannot win the Afghan front or reduce "terrorism" with an Afghan campaign. But, since the US’s Afghan military invasion was and is ILLEGAL, Obama and Gates and their accomplices can continue to commit war crimes massively (with each additional killing or maiming or displacement the US causes).

The UN Charter says all member states must settle their international disputes by peaceful means; no state can use military force except in self-defense or when authorized by the Security Council. After the 9/11 attacks, the Council passed Resolutions 1368 & 1373, which condemned the September 11 attacks; but neither authorized use of military force in Afghanistan.

Our Afghanistan invasion was not self-defense per article 51 of the Charter. The 9/11 attacks were criminal attacks, not "armed attacks" wrought by another state — another national government or national military. Afghanistan did not attack the United States. Of the nineteen 9/11 terrorists, 15 were Saudis.

After 9/11, the US did not face an imminent threat of an armed attack of Afghanistan or any other state. Just so, Bush waited three weeks before starting to bomb Afghanistan. And the reason was just that Afghanistan’s Taliban government would not turn over bin Laden, not that the Taliban government made any threat of attacking the US or any of its territories.

The UN-Charter-required self-defense NECESSITY must be "instant, overwhelming, leaving no choice of means, and no moment for deliberation." This long-standing principle of self-defense was affirmed not only by the U.N. General Assembly, but also by the Nuremberg Tribunal.

Suppose, before 9/11, Afghanistan's Taliban government asserted that a certain international terrorist organization had set up headquarters in Kansas City, Missouri and that the organization had executed a terrorist attack against Kabul. The Taliban government demanded that our government render to the Taliban government the terrorist organization's leaders. Our government refused, asserting sovereignty. The Taliban invade the US to find and apprehend the terrorist organization's leaders, and the Taliban's invading force topples our government.

Obama and the US do not have a defense in the Afghan "government" permits the US military’s (and NATO forces’) presence. The Afghan government is a US installation achieved by the US’s illegal invasion. With illegal invasion, the US military ousted the legitimate government of Afghanistan. Even if the current US puppet government WERE legitimate, US (and NATO) military operations are illegal, because the "government" has demanded that the US (and NATO) cede to the government the control of military operations.

Now, instead of withdrawing our illegally-present military from Afghanistan or at least yielding to the Afghan "government" control of military operations there (as that government has demanded), Obama is expanding our illegal Afghan war and invading Pakistan, which has not authorized our invasion and has not given any cause of our invading it for self defense. Pakistan has not attacked the US. No UN Resolution authorizes the US to invade Pakistan. So, each time the US military kills a Pakistani by invading Pakistan, Obama and Gates and their accomplices commit a war crime.

SO much more convincing (and smart) than the 'we are good and they are evil' or 'they want to take away our freedom' Bushie propaganda, the old patronizing politics of fear--" their ideas are bankrupt. There's no actions that they've taken that say a child in the Muslim world is getting a better education because of them, or has better health care because of them...You will be judged on what you've built, not what you've destroyed. And what [Al Q has] been doing is destroying things. And over time, I think the Muslim world has recognized that that path is leading no place, except more death and destruction. "

awesome--"what you will see over the next several years is that I'm not going to agree with everything that some Muslim leader may say, or what's on a television station in the Arab world ... but I think that what you'll see is somebody who is listening, who is respectful, and who is trying to promote the interests not just of the United States, but also ordinary people who right now are suffering from poverty and a lack of opportunity. I want to make sure that I'm speaking to them, as well."--makes you feel proud to be American...

OK Mom--agreed--"Good start. President Obama moved the focus toward common goals for the survial of all regional players; the future of their children. He spoke respectfully towards muslims and arabs while communicating effectively his opposition toward terrorists groups. He linked his heritage and upbringing as a bridge that connects him to muslims while still showing his alligence towards Israel."--but re "The questions were mainly softballs and I suspect will be perceived as such by hardliners and terrorist leaders"--not sure; I would imagine hardliners et al don't believe in freedom of speech anyway. But in other parts of the world a broader, deeper and more conversational tone (less time-pressured) is normal in press interviews; Americans tend to be inquisitorial (gotcha) which has its place but when dealing with foreign leaders through interpreters, is often ham-handed, aggressive, and just makes Americans look naive, if not rude.